The Spaces Inside
by Light Catastrophe
Summary: When a car accident takes Roxas' memories, only a boy with vibrant green eyes, fiery red hair, and a personality to match, can rescue him from himself. AkuRoku. Yaoi. AU.
1. It's All Downhill From Here

**The**_**Spaces**_**Inside**

**B**_y_ L**i**_g_h**t** _C_a**t**_a_s**t**_r_o**p**_h_e

_Chapter_ **One:** It's All Downhill From Here

**Rating**: T (for now)

_Pairing_: AkuRoku (AxelxRoxas) along with some other, minor ones

Warnings: yaoi, slash, AU

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot, so please don't sue me.

_Babblings_: This story has been on my mind for some time now. I've really been wanting to write an AkuRoku chapter-fic, but decided that I should probably finish Lights and Sounds first. Now that that is (nearly) finished, I decided to type this up. I'm taking a break from writing mpreg, so if you're not a fan of mpreg, then you should be alright with this story. Also, this story is written in _third_ person. I know, I know, you didn't think it was possible, but it is.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

"And he's off!"

Roxas sped down the mountain, a billow of snow behind him. The wind blew through his blonde spikes, the snow reflecting off his brilliant blue eyes. This was his heaven: just him and his snowboard and nothing stopping them from crashing into the snow except shear determination and skill. He zipped through gate after gate and arrived at the bottom of the mountain in no time flat. He came to an abrupt stop just after the finish line. Loud cheering came from beyond the roped off area. A smile tugged at his lips at the sight of his cousin, Sora, who had raced just before him, and his best friend, Namine.

He picked up his board and trudged through the snow over to them. "Rox!" yelled Sora, who was, as usual, very hyped up. "That was awesome! You totally kicked butt! You've won this one for sure."

"You did better than usual," said Namine, quietly.

"What time is it?" he asked, his stomach growling in need of food after a long morning of snowboarding.

Sora reached in his pocket and grabbed his cell phone. "It's 12:30. If we go have lunch now, they should have the results posted by the time we've finished and then we can go back out for a couple more runs before the next race."

Roxas nodded his consent and they raced back to the lodge for some much-needed food. Inside, swarms of people crowded around the concessions, eager for food. Normally, Roxas avoided coming inside during the lunch rush, because he wasn't a huge fan of crowds, or people in general. There were only a handful of people in the entire world he allowed to get close and two of them were with him at the moment.

"I'll go grab a table," offered Namine as she took off her hat, her blonde hair falling to her shoulders. She reached into her coat and handed Roxas a wad of money, smiling, their hands touching only for a moment. "Just get me a slice of cheese pizza and a small Sprite, okay, Roxas?"

"Okay, lovebirds, stop it," said Sora, dragging Roxas away by the collar of his jacket.

"We're not lovebirds," said Roxas, slightly miffed, taking off his gloves off and rubbing his hands together, which were red from cold.

"Oh, I know," Sora replied, grinning. "You don't even like girls."

"How did you know?" Roxas asked, slightly taken aback, but not completely surprised.

"Don't you remember…?" Sora began to ask, but let his voice trail off. Of course Roxas wouldn't remember. Roxas furrowed his brows together in frustration, attempting to remember, but he was, as always, met only with darkness where his memories used to exist.

About a year prior, Roxas was involved in a car accident. No one knew what happened. If there had been another person in the car, they'd disappeared before the ambulance arrived. Roxas was alright except for a cut across his forehead and amnesia from hitting his head on the dashboard. Roxas reached up and touched the raised scar on his head, a constant reminder of that day even though he couldn't remember it. He'd lost all of his memories. Namine and Sora and his family had to gradually reintroduce themselves and even after that it took awhile for Roxas to trust them completely. The only thing that saved him from complete insanity was snowboarding. Even if he couldn't recall how he'd learned how to board, his body remembered how to do it, much like eating or riding a bike or talking, and that's all that mattered.

"Sorry, Rox. I always do that," Sora apologized.

Roxas shook his head, grabbing a slice of pizza for Namine, a salad for himself and two Sprites. "It's okay. It's not your fault."

"I know," the brunette said, taking a hamburger, "but I always feel bad."

They paid for their food and made their way back to their other friend. Namine had somehow, miraculously, managed to find them a table next to the large windows looking up the mountain. A light snow was falling from the sky, enveloping the world in a sort of trance. Roxas loved days like this. They just seemed so surreal – a lot like how he himself felt most of the time: surreal; not completely attached to the world.

A voice suddenly came out of the loudspeaker, breaking Roxas from his trance. "Attention everyone: the results of this afternoon's races are posted next to guest services. I repeat: the results of this afternoon's races are posted next to guest services. Winners are to report to guest services to get their prizes."

Sora immediately jumped to his feet. "I'll go look!" He was out of sight before either Roxas or Namine had a chance to reply. They shared a knowing giggle. Sora was back a few minutes later. He plopped back into his seat, a pout on his lips.

"Well?" prompted Namine.

"Roxas won, of course. But I only got third."

"Who won second?" Roxas asked, curious to know his competition.

"Some guy named Axel. He must have raced after we left. He probably just got lucky."

"Sora, you're just a sore loser," Roxas pointed out, finishing his last bite of salad.

"That's easy for you to say," said the brunette, sticking out his tongue. "You never lose."

"Doesn't change the fact that you're a sore loser."

At that, Sora playfully made an 'L' with his fingers, directing it at his blonde cousin and threw away what remained of his hamburger. "Let's go back out. I obviously need some more practice before the next race."

Roxas and Namine shared a look, but pushed back from the table, which was quickly taken up by a family who had been hovering nearby, waiting for them to leave.

By the second race of the day, Roxas' adrenaline levels were back to their usual high, perhaps higher. He hoped the person who'd taken second place in the earlier race was racing again. Roxas loved competition. He and Sora waited patiently for their names to be called. Well, Roxas waited patiently. Sora, on the other hand, could barely contain himself.

"I'm going to get second this time, Rox. Mark my words," the bouncy brunette announced. He'd long ago given up attempting for first against Roxas. They both knew he'd never win. But Sora was a good sport about it. So long as Roxas was happy, he was happy. He said that was how it had always been, even when they were small children, growing up together. Because Roxas couldn't remember, though, he took Sora's word on it.

Roxas rolled his eyes at his cousin, but said, encouragingly, "Yeah, after all that practicing you just did, it should be a piece of cake."

Sora hit him on the arm, an odd habit of his. "I never know if you're being sarcastic or not."

The blonde shrugged his shoulders and pulled his goggles over his eyes to block out the swirls of snow, which were falling much harder now. Then his ears perked up. The announced had just called for an 'Axel'. Roxas tried to get closer to look at his opponent, but he only caught a glimpse of vibrant red hair poking out from under a black beanie before the other man sped over the side of the slope.

Roxas' name was called next. For some reason, as he raced for all he was worth, he hoped the red-head was still at the bottom when Roxas arrived. After a couple short seconds, he came to a halt at the base and looked around wildly for the red-head. He saw Namine waving at him, yelling something unintelligible, but he didn't head over to her immediately. Then he saw the man from before, talking with another man. Both appeared to be in their early twenties, only a couple years older than Roxas.

Before he knew what he was doing, he snowboarded over to them, with no idea in mind as to what to say to them. All he knew was that he had to see that man with the fiery red hair. Some other-worldly feeling propelled him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Namine stop waving, a confused look coming over her face.

The man lit a cigarette and raised an eyebrow as the blonde boy slowed in front of them. He stopped talking with his friend and met a gaze with Roxas. It was then that Roxas saw the stranger's piercing green eyes for the first time. He _knew_ those eyes and that fiery red hair and the tattoos on his cheeks. He knew them from somewhere, maybe a past life, maybe from his life before he'd lost his memories, but he _knew those eyes_.

Suddenly, he felt as though his breath had been knocked out of him and he couldn't come up with any words to express what he was feeling or why he'd just randomly shown up in front up them.

"Yes?" the red-head asked, casually, looking at Roxas as though he were some lost, little child.

"I-I'm sorry," he stuttered and turned away.

"No, seriously, kid," the man said, his tone slightly annoyed now. "What's up?"

"Nothing," he replied. "I just… thought I knew you from somewhere."

"Whatever, kid," he said and took a long drag on his cigarette.

When he boarded back to Namine, a defeated look on his face, she just gave him a hug, not needing to ask what had went on. Namine never asked until Roxas told her and it was enough that she was there to simply help him along the way.

Sora came down the run a few minutes later and let out a loud 'whooping' sound. "I know I got it that time," he said, when he skidded in front of them. Namine and Roxas shared a look. "_What_?"

"Nothing," Namine said. "Nothing."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

As it turned out, Sora came in third again behind 'that stupid Axel guy' (as Sora called him) and the other two had to deal with his complaining the entire drive back to the town a few miles down from the mountain. Roxas' aunt, Aerith, lived there in the second floor of a coffee shop/bookstore which she owned and ran during the busy winter tourist season. Roxas was spending the entire winter with her, helping out in the shop in exchange for room and board. Namine and Sora were only staying there over their two-week winter break from college. For obvious reasons, Roxas chose not to go to college, the main reason being that he didn't know what else he enjoyed doing besides snowboarding. So he sort of set out on a quest to 'find himself' per say. And his quest had led him to the tiny tourist town named Twilight Town. He'd been living with his aunt, his mother's only sister, for nearly a month now. Aerith was still fairly young, only in her mid-thirties, and she enjoyed having Roxas around, who was just as bookish as herself. That was the other thing Roxas had discovered about his former self: he loved to spend hours and hours reading. Apparently, he'd barely known Aerith before, because she'd broken off from the rest of his family when she was much younger. Now, she was his best friend right next to Sora and Namine.

"We're back," he called out, opening the door to the small shop which his aunt had named Express-o Books. The name always made him laugh.

At the annoying 'dinging' sound of the door opening, Aerith swept around a corner, her soft brown hair swaying slightly in the breeze coming through the still-open door. "I already have some hot chocolate made up for all of you," she smiled. "Come in and shut the door behind you."

They shrugged off their coats on the coat rack and sat at the counter where three steaming mugs of hot chocolate awaited them. Roxas took a sip of his, savoring the taste of the chocolate swirled with a bit of peppermint. "My favorite," he said, licking a bit of foam from his upper lip.

"Yeah," agreed Sora, happily. "You make the best cocoa."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

That night, Roxas found it impossible to sleep. He rolled around in the bed he was sharing with Sora, feeling almost jealous of his cousin for being able to sleep so soundly, unaware of everything going on around him. Roxas seemed to have a hard time sleeping many nights nowadays. And even when he did sleep often-times, he was haunted by nightmares which he could never remember when he woke up.

After several hours of tossing and turning, unable to get the green eyes of that stranger out of his mind, he crawled out of bed, past the computer room where Namine was sleeping, and down the stairs, hoping to curl up with a novel in one of the large, overstuffed chairs his aunt kept in her store. He was surprised, however, to find that Aerith already had a fire going and was herself huddled on the rug in front of it, a book in hand.

"Roxas," she said, looking up and motioning for him to join her. "Can't sleep?" The blonde boy shook his head, sitting on the rug beside her and leaning his head on her shoulder. "I couldn't either. There's just something so intriguing about nights like this that it's always hard for me to sleep." As if on cue, a gust of wind battered upon the windows, seeming to make the very building shake.

"What are you reading?" Roxas asked.

"Alice in Wonderland," she replied, laughing a little. "I'm not sure why, but it's always been one of my favorites. Probably because it has two dimensions to it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, on the one hand, it's simply a children's story, but on the other hand the entire book is making fun of the British government."

"Hmmm…" Roxas murmured. "I might have to read it." He was nearly positive he already had, way back before he'd lost his memories, but it couldn't hurt to read it again.

"Oh, Roxas," Aerith said, pulling her nephew closer. "I wish I'd been able to know you when you were younger."

The blonde shrugged. "Wouldn't have made a difference anyway, because I can't remember my childhood."

"Maybe you will some day," she said after a moment of contemplating. "Many people who lose their memories gain them back at some point or another." For some reason though, Roxas wasn't sure if he wanted to know. He knew he'd be gaining back many painful memories as well as the positive ones.

"I met a guy today," he said in a whisper, staring into the glowing embers of the dying fire. "I think I know him from somewhere. I made a fool out of myself though. Even if I did meet him again I doubt if he'll talk with me. He beat Sora in the races, so he's fairly good, but not as good as me," he added, though it didn't sound as though he were bragging, just merely stating a fact.

"Did he trigger any memories?"

"No, but for some reason when I looked into his eyes, I knew I'd seen or met him somewhere before."

"You should talk with him."

Roxas let out a deep sigh before nodding. "I will if I ever see him again."

"You will," Aerith said, matter-of-factly.

"How do you know?" Roxas shot back, the skepticism clear in his voice.

"I'm good at these things."

They sat in silence for a long time, content with each other. Finally, when the fire was nearly completely out, Roxas asked, "Have you ever been in love, Aunt Aerith?" He surprised himself with the question, not entirely sure where it had come from.

"Once," she replied, closing her eyes. Roxas could tell she was remembering and was hit by another wave of jealousy. He didn't know if he'd ever been in love and he wondered what it felt like to be so consumed with another person. What did it feel like to have someone who meant the world to you? Was it like what he had felt today with that man whose name he didn't even know? Was that love at first sight? But then, Roxas didn't think he'd ever know.

It was weird, but he felt as though he were an alien in another person's body. He obviously wasn't the same person. Everyone became who they were through their experiences and Roxas didn't have any. He was like a baby, starting over entirely from scratch.

"Will you tell me about him sometime?" he asked after another long period of quiet.

"Yeah," she said, the tone of her voice slightly sad. "Someday, Roxas. Someday I will tell you all about him."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings:** Please give this story a chance. I really like it, because it has my most favorite characters ever and my favorite sport. Actually, I ski, but snowboarding is much sexier and I like thinking of both Axel and Roxas snowboarding.

Oh, before I forget, I just wanted to make clear that Aerith is only Roxas' aunt, not Sora's. They are cousins through their fathers.

Anyways, tell me what you think. I'd really appreciate it. The more reviews I get the more inspired I will be to write more. I'm trying to get better at self editing, so it would be much appreciated if you pointed out anything wrong that I may have skipped over.


	2. Falling Hard

**The**_**Spaces**_**Inside**

_Chapter_ **Two: F**_a_l**l**_i_n**g** _H_a**r**_d_

**Babblings: **I guess there's nothing much to say except that I would really appreciate feedback if you'd like me to continue this story. Enjoy chapter two.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

When Roxas awoke, he was curled up under a blanket next to the fireplace where he'd fallen asleep with his aunt Aerith. He groggily stretched his arms above his head and loudly cracked his back.

"Ew, I really wish you wouldn't do that, Rox," remarked Sora, stepping out from behind a bookshelf. "It's really gross."

The blonde ignored his cousin and flopped back onto the comfortable rug, pulling the soft blanket back over his body. He shut his eyes, not feeling in the mood to move or really do anything. Once again the face of that red-haired guy, Axel, flashed over his mind's eye. He groaned, deciding that he'd rather stay in this one spot all day than go back out on the ski hill and risk making a fool of himself again. But his heart yearned for that man and he didn't know why, especially when the man didn't even seem to recognize Roxas.

"Come on, sleepy-head," urged Sora, lightly kicking him. "Breakfast is ready. The rest of us have been up for awhile already."

"Just tell my aunt that I want to stay here," he muttered, turning away from the brunette.

"Not a chance, buddy. Aerith's going to open the store in a few minutes and then you'll have to move anyway."

Reluctantly, Roxas wrapped the blanket around him and ambled his way sleepily to the kitchen, where he plopped wordlessly onto a stool.

"You're really cute when you're tired," Namine pointed out, giggling a bit with her hand over her mouth.

Roxas groaned and placed his head on the counter. "I'm not in the mood to be called 'cute'."

"I'm just stating the facts," the blonde girl said, pointedly, before taking a dainty bite out of her waffle.

"Roxas!" exclaimed Aerith, walking into the kitchen. "You look so cute."

The whole world was conspiring against him. He could feel a headache coming on. All he wanted was a little peace and quiet to figure things out, but these people just kept bothering him. He reminded himself that they were his friends, but it didn't much make him feel better. "May I have a waffle?" Aerith handed him a plate with a fresh one on it and Sora a plate with five. Suffice to say, Sora had finished all five of his before Roxas had finished his one.

"Rox, you need to go get ready," said Namine.

Roxas shook his head. "I'm going to stay here today." Aerith, Namine, and Sora shared a look, but, surprisingly, didn't say anything. He was thankful for that at least. He really didn't feel like explaining to them why he didn't want to go. He didn't know if they'd understand anyway, except Aerith who already knew.

Once Sora and Namine had left for the day, Roxas climbed lazily up the stairs and collapsed onto his bed, exhausted.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

When he woke again, it was a relatively more reasonable time of day and he was definitely more personable. He put on his glasses, feeling too unmotivated to put his contacts in, and arrived downstairs to help Aerith. All the customers loved Roxas, because, even though he only had a memory of a few months, he'd already read nearly half the books on the shelf and could tell customers anything about them. He was also very good at making coffee, which was definitely a plus. And he was 'cute', as Aerith and Namine would say and his presence brought in a lot of young, female customers.

Roxas quickly lost himself in the work, letting all his other worries float away while he helped other people. Then they came back with a rush the moment he saw a tall man with flaming red hair walk in the shop.

"Hey, Blondie," he said, stepping up to the counter and sitting in one of the stools, spinning around on it like an amused little child. "I didn't know you worked here."

"Uh, yeah," Roxas muttered, fighting the blush from coming to his cheeks. He was still embarrassed about the day before. "My aunt's the owner. Is there anything you'd like?"

The man looked at him liked he's lost his mind, but nodded. "Peppermint hot chocolate, please." As Roxas started to make the hot chocolate, he couldn't help but stare at the man in front of him and he couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity. He _knew_ this man from somewhere. "You like to read?" the man asked.

"Yeah," Roxas replied, handing him his hot chocolate. "Besides snowboarding it's the only thing I really know how to do. Do you like reading?"

He shrugged, taking a sip. "I've only found a few that I like."

"Well, what genre do you like?"

"Mostly sci-fi."

"Oh," said Roxas, almost excitedly. "Have you read any of Isaac Asimov? He's probably the greatest science fiction writer out there. He wrote _I Robot_. You know that movie with Will Smith in it?"

The red-head grinned. "I guess I know what gets you talking."

Roxas blushed. "I'm serious. We have some books by Asimov around here if you're interested."

"I might have to take you up on that," the man said, standing up and holding out his hand. "My name's Axel by the way."

The blonde took his outstretched hand, noticing how strong his grip was and how perfectly Roxas' smaller hand fit in his larger one. "Roxas."

Axel's eyes lit up in recognition and Roxas thought that maybe, _maybe_ he knew him from before. But… "So you're the prodigy."

Roxas shook his head. "I'm not a prodigy."

"Trust me," Axel said, stepping back from the counter, "only a prodigy would be able to beat me in snowboarding." He gave Roxas a silky grin. "I'll be here all winter, so maybe I'll see you around. Next time maybe I'll take you up on that book." That said, he turned around and walked out of the store, leaving Roxas to stare at the door long after he'd disappeared.

"I told you you'd see him again," said Aerith, suddenly appearing at his side.

Roxas only nodded and grabbed a stack of books that needed to be shelved.

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

Roxas spent the rest of the lazy hours of the afternoon thumbing through a bunch of books and looking at the many pictures Aunt Aerith had up of the walls from her travels. He noticed that is many of the photographs there was a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes much like Roxas's. He couldn't help but think that maybe this was the man she'd fallen in love with. Certainly in all the photos with him she looked extraordinarily happy.

Once again these thoughts drifted to Roxas wondering if he'd ever been in love. Sure, he wasn't all that old, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. All he knew as that the boy with the vibrant red hair and green eyes could somehow help him remember – if he wanted to know. Maybe Roxas was better off not knowing what had happened and who he'd been. Maybe he should just start entirely over and forget about the past.

A couple hours later, Roxas found himself being pounced on by a very exuberant Sora. "Rox! Rox! I won today. That guy from yesterday wasn't there! So I won!" Roxas laughed. Sometimes, Sora reminded him of a little kid. He got so excited.

Roxas, Sora, and Namine all sat down to a movie that night (Sora's pick) and Roxas found that he could forget everything, even Axel for a short while. Part way through the movie, though, he leaned over and whispered to Namine, "That guy, Axel, he came in here today."

She didn't have to say anything. She just smiled genuinely at him and leaned her head against his shoulder, reaching over and stealing a handful of popcorn from Sora, who, in turn, yelled a resounding "Hey!" Roxas and Namine shared a look and a small giggle.

Roxas didn't see Axel for several days, even at the mountain. He'd even asked Aerith if she'd seen him, but she told him 'no' she hadn't seen him. Roxas was beginning to wonder if maybe he didn't really exist, maybe he'd made him up. Namine told him no though. She'd seen him, too. He existed, somewhere. Roxas just had to find him.

And find him he did. Well, actually, he ran into him.

He and Sora were waiting for their names to be called for the next race when suddenly, he heard Axel's name being called. Immediately, Roxas' ears perked up and he skidded to the edge of the hill just in time to see a blur speeding down the hill. His name was called next. As soon as he pushed off the top, Roxas knew that this was going to be the best time he ever got. He sped through gate after gate, a cloud of snow rising behind him. When he got to the bottom, though, he didn't stop because he saw Axel's shape disappearing past the crowd. He boarded past Namine and continued down the mountain. He watched as Axel turned down a side-path Roxas had never been down before. The shape became nearer and nearer until… it stopped. Directly in front of him. And he was going so fast that he didn't have time to think about stopping.

They collided and both of them were sent, tumbling down the slope. When they finally came to a halt, a jolting pain was shooting up Roxas' leg. He cried out and then Axel was standing above him. "Jesus Christ, kid, are you trying to kill me?"

"Fuck," he said, ignoring the man and sitting up, hands shaking as he undid the straps on his snowboard. His ankle was throbbing now and it was all he could do to keep from crying.

"It's just you at me, Roxy. This isn't exactly a well-traveled run. So I'd say you need my help."

Roxas glared up at the red-head. "How exactly? Unless you plan of carrying me down the mountain."

"Well," he said. "I'm a lot stronger than you probably think I am and you can't weigh more than a hundred pounds."

"A hundred and twenty," Roxas protested, wincing as his foot slid a ways in the snow. "And it's not possible. It'll put you too off-balance."

"The way I see it, you have two options. One, let me carry you or two, wait for someone to find you." Roxas glared and knew he didn't really have much of a choice. Axel handed him a rope. "Here, attach this to your board and then sling it across your back." After Roxas had done so, Axel helped him to his feet, making sure his weak ankle didn't collapse beneath him. Then he hoisted the small blonde onto his back and slowly, _slowly_ made his way down. Roxas was furious with himself and horribly embarrassed.

When they finally reached the lodge, Axel carried him to a small, red car and set him inside. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"I'm taking you to my apartment to see if it's just a sprain or if it's broken," Axel said, starting his car and speeding away from the ski resort.

"What are you, a doctor?"

"I was studying to be one," the man replied, shocking Roxas. "And I was good at it, too."

"What happened?" Roxas asked, curious.

Axel visibly cringed. "That's something I'd much rather not talk about."

For the rest of the ride, neither of them said anything to the other. Roxas called Namine and left a message on her phone, telling them that he was okay and just to head home without him. He tried to ignore the throbbing in his ankle, but it wouldn't go away. When he leaned down to take his boot off, he had to put all his muscles into it. His ankle was swollen to nearly twice its usual size. Roxas groaned. This should have never happened.

Axel pulled up next to an expensive set of apartment buildings. He walked over to the other side of the car and lifted Roxas, easily, into his arms.

"I can walk," said the blonde.

"You want to test that?" Axel taunted, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think so." He carried Roxas into a nice, but messy apartment room. Axel obviously lived alone. He set Roxas on the bed and disappeared into the bathroom. When he returned, he handed Roxas a couple aspirin and a glass of water before lifting Roxas' leg onto some pillows and proceeding to examine his ankle. Roxas had to bite down on his cheek to keep from screaming. A few minutes later, Axel wrapped his ankle tightly and placed a bag of ice on top of it. "It's only a sprain," he announced. "But you'll definitely have to keep off it for a few days. I think I have a pair of crutches around here that might fit you."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Roxas asked, suddenly very tired.

The red-head shrugged and once again Roxas had the feeling that he knew Axel from before. Maybe that's why he was helping him. But between the aspirin and the pain of his throbbing ankle he didn't have any time to dwell on it because sleep claimed him a moment later.

Axel shook his head, sadly, but stood up to find those crutches. He found them buried deep in the back of his closet. He pulled them out – a pair exactly the right height for a person of Roxas' stature. He walked back into the bedroom and stared at the sleeping blonde. Leaning down, he kissed Roxas' forehead. "Someday," he promised, "someday you'll remember."

_**x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x**_

**Babblings: **Hey, I'm sorry to leave you all with a sort of cliffhanger, but I couldn't help it. Oh and I've actually seen someone carry someone else down of their backs – just in case you say it isn't possible.

I'd love it if you'd review!


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